Sexual assault centre to teach Windsor minor hockey players respect for women

Board members, volunteers and players in the Windsor Minor Hockey Association will all receiverespect-for-women training organized by the sexual assault crisis centrenext season.

The decision comes after the league suspended its president, Dean Lapierre, for posting a misogynisticcomment about Canadian participants in the Women's March on Washington.

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On Monday the hockey associationannounced Lapierre would be removed from his position for the rest of the season and would be required to participate in a respect-in-sport leadership program and ethics training for social media.

"It's not just going to be to the board and Dean, rather we're looking at trying to change the entire culture of minor hockey," saidLydia Fiorini, executive director of the Sexual Assault Crisis Centre of Essex County.

Staff are working to adapt a course designed for 16-20-year-old OHL players to include games and tools that will work for all of the league's players. Some of those players are as young as five and six, said Fiorini.

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"We're now going to work really hard all summer long to develop programs that are age-appropriate for children," she explained.

Dave Pickford, vice president of travel for the minor hockey association, said Lapierre understands his behaviour was unacceptable.

The board has agreed to take steps towards changing their culture and attitudes towards women, he added.

"We're going to get some guidance and training as it relates to dealing with sensitivity issues and specifically women's issues," said Pickford. "We're also going to take a look at our in-house policies and procedures in regards to social media."

Creating programsspecific to all age groups will be a "huge undertaking," Fiorini said, but the payoff will make the effort worthwhile.

"We're really trying to work hard to change the culture," she said. "We know that, if we don't start from the very beginning from very young, we're not going to make significant changes."